Dealing with having little support from friends..

[cindellasaurus]

I feel like everyone I talk to about my upcoming thru-hike has something negative to say. It's just really discouraging when your family and friends are like "you're doing WHAT?.. yeah, right! You're never going to end up going." and "have you ever even hiked part of the Appalachian trail? Try hiking part of the trail and I think you'll change your mind, real quick."

Have any of the rest of you had to deal with people being really ..pukey.. about you hiking?

[darkage]

Yes, my wife mostly don't understand since she hates bugs and the woods .... If i had the time, i have the passion to hike the trail on any day in any weather ...

If you feel inside you can do it and WANNA do it ... after all, its only a long walk.

Don't let the nay sayer's get into you're head, Do it ... and DO it with pride ...

[cwbrown]

It's not about them...it's about you! Stay positive!!!

[superman]

Go hike...make new friends. Bring your very stinken hiken friends to visit your old friends. Revenge is better served cold.

[Spokes]

I just look at the nay sayers and smile. My mind flips all those negative comments around and drives me even harder.

[Pacific Tortuga]

The only opinion that really matters is yours. Goals are good, following through with them is, well, better.
I'd say 99% of all want-a-be thru's heard negative tone's from family or friends, welcome to the group. Nay sayers do not discriminate, at any age, hiker's hear crap about their long trail adventure.
"Follow your dreams, live the life you imagined", H D Thoreau

[warraghiyagey]

Cindella - you'll meet great people, some of whom will be friends for life. A good percentage of folks who start out on the trail experience this same issue as you. . . but as you continue on your journey your friends/family will be in touch and wonder how you're doing. . . and when you get home, you have what you found for yourself, and you will be amazed the difference in them as you recount your stories of the trail.
Stay true to your dream, and yourself and have a great hike. . . .

[GrubbyJohn]

ya got alot of friends on here that say give um hell...... go take a hike... so to speak

[Rocket]

We're all behind you.....100%!

[scope]

Its natural that you want to talk about it because you are excited about it and you want to share that excitement with the folks you care about the most. Fact is, few people get it, and they're not trying to rain on your parade, they just don't get it. That's what we're here for! Don't talk about it with your family and friends, just do it, they'll come around.

[traildust]

I feel like everyone I talk to about my upcoming thru-hike has something negative to say. It's just really discouraging when your family and friends are like "you're doing WHAT?.. yeah, right! You're never going to end up going." and "have you ever even hiked part of the Appalachian trail? Try hiking part of the trail and I think you'll change your mind, real quick."

Have any of the rest of you had to deal with people being really ..pukey.. about you hiking?

With each step North, each day completed, they will begin to change their tune. Good luck. Have fun. Hike

[Mountain Wildman]

Cindellasauras,
It's funny you should ask that question because I was just contemplating this yesterday. I have a nephew and was thinking if I could impart just one piece of advise to him it would be this:
"In your life you will have no shortage of people who will tell you what you can't do. Ignore them. You can do anything you want if you set your mind to it"

[RLC_FLA]

If they have to ask, they'll never know!

[Lilred]

I've section hiked about 1000 miles of the trail since 2003. This last summer when I told my mom when I was leaving she said, and I quote, " Are you still hiking that crazy trail?" Some people will never get it.

[Tinker]

I feel like everyone I talk to about my upcoming thru-hike has something negative to say. It's just really discouraging when your family and friends are like "you're doing WHAT?.. yeah, right! You're never going to end up going." and "have you ever even hiked part of the Appalachian trail? Try hiking part of the trail and I think you'll change your mind, real quick."

Have any of the rest of you had to deal with people being really ..pukey.. about you hiking?

Yes. I walked away from them years ago. Now they're all having midlife (or later) crises and heart attacks.
There, but for the grace of God (and a love of hiking) go I.

[Mrs Baggins]

Yeah we had that, too. So when we had to get of the trail after just 70 miles we had to deal with the naysayers. Our answer? "We walked 70 miles last week carrying almost 40 lbs each. What did you do?" That usually shut them up.

[Tinker]

Yeah we had that, too. So when we had to get of the trail after just 70 miles we had to deal with the naysayers. Our answer? "We walked 70 miles last week carrying almost 40 lbs each. What did you do?" That usually shut them up.

Way to go!
We die too young often because we do too little.

[RichardD]

As long distance hikers we are very much a minority. Most folk cannot understand how we actually enjoy the hardships and adversity of a long distance hike. Many consider an adventure to be a trip in a luxury automobile to a Holiday Inn, they have no idea of the satisfaction and adventure we derive from setting off down a trail with everything we need on our back. The delight of waking to the dawn chorus of the birds deep in the forest. The delight of brewing our morning coffee and enjoying our breakfast far from the civilized (or uncivilized) world. The excitement of packing camp and setting off in the early morning sun along trails new to us. The delight of a lunch by a babbling brook and the satisfaction of setting up camp at the end of the day, relaxing tired limbs, enjoying a good dinner and the company of the finest people you will ever meet.
Don't expect many people to share this delight in the outdoors, a few will and a few will lament that they never experienced such an adventure.
(Your age might be some of the reason, people close to you might be worried about your safety. They probably don't realize it is almost a non issue)

[Praha4]

yep, I've encountered similar criticisms from friends and family... some are jealous that I have 5-6 months of time and the funds to do this hike, while they are chained to miserable careers or jobs and cannot get away; some are just idiots who spend their lives on the mindless treadmill of their own lives: video games, TV, surfing the net all day, drugs, alchohol, etc.; some are out of shape, overweight, don't like bugs, don't like exercising, etc.

It all comes down to CHOICES; we all have them. And what we all choose as individuals to carry in our own life "backpack"; too many posessions, too many houses, too many cars, boats, adult playtoys, too much "stuff" weighs us down, and our backpack gets way too heavy to carry, and we are chained to where they are in life... and then there is the pursuit of the almighty dollar, I have friends in their 40s and 50s worrying to no end about their retirements, and are working 2 jobs, trying to put away money for their retirement.

I made the decision long time ago, I would rather enjoy life now in my 40s and 50s and maybe give up a little money....then sitting in a dam rocking chair in my 70s and 80s with a larger bank account, but too fat or too many health problems to do anything but watch TV or play bingo

it all comes down to choices, what do we all choose to do with the time we have on this earth

it's not easy to break the ties with negative people in your life, misery loves company. If you don't do the hike, you will wake up some day in the future and kick yourself for not doing it

[Sleepy the Arab]

Ignore them. Every time they trot out those tired lines, don't bother responding, just smile politely and nod.

Then when you get to Hot Springs, send them a postcard. Make sure you mention the 273 miles you will have hiked by then.